Sunday Standup Comedy Showcase: Bill Dana as Jose Jimenez, Bullfighter

Some of the best standup comedy was on TV shows and comedy specials in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Today we continue our Sunday Standup series, sharing some of the classic routines by iconic comedians on Sunday editions of Jewish Humor Central.

Bill Dana was a very popular comedian in the 1960s. He often appeared on television shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show, The Danny Thomas Show, The Steve Allen Show, and his own sitcom, The Bill Dana Show, usually as a heavily accented Bolivian character named José Jiménez. 

Dana was born William Szathmary in Quincy, Massachusetts. He was of Hungarian-Jewish descent. He took his stage name "Dana" after his mother's first name "Dena" as he felt "Szathmary" was unpronounceable. 

In this video clip from a Smothers Brothers prime time variety show in 1989, Dana (as Jose Jimenez) does his bullfighter routine.

Enjoy!